I recently ran into a situation I'd like to put out to the Yokosuka community. I've been running a paid ad in the Seahawk for the past ten years or so as a magician. It only cost me about $5, so it was a pretty good deal. I was about to renew my ad when I realized that the Seahawk Digital Edition available on the CNIC web page does not contain the Classified page. So, I submitted an ICE. Within 24 hours I received an email from CFAY PAO explaining that they had to pull the Classified Ads from the digital edition due because of a hit on a recent inspection. Now, that doesn't make any sense at all. Why should I continue paying the ad agency that Seahawk uses when they don't give my ad full coverage? I haven't decided whether to continue running my ad or not, but I'm leaning on dropping the ad. This is not good news for Seahawk because as people find this out they will drop their ads and Seahawk will end up being a "digital only" newspaper like they had to do in Atsugi. Another reason why we need Adam and the JB site herein.

I'd like to hear exactly what the "hit" was on the inspection: Like, chapter & verse, what regulation are they presumably violating? I often see knee-jerk reaction to inspection hits. Rather than fixing the problem, they drop the activity altogether. I just wonder if somehow they can bring their online ads into compliance with whatever the perceived infraction was. Many times, these are a judgment call on the part of an inspector, and the next guy is just as likely to say, "There's no reason you had to stop doing that." I can't count the number of times I've seen this in the risk-averse Navy culture.

Mike, just so you know, I noticed that the online classifieds had been pulled last year..... When I inquired about this, I was told that it had something to do with OPSEC. They didn't want phone numbers and email addresses on the web.

The problem is the official websites are not allowed to advertise or endorse items. Its not just the classifieds that are removed, but all the advertisements in the seahawk. You may be paying $5 a week which is $20 a month, $240 a year. But everyone that is not apart the base pays 2x that. So they are paying $480 a month for a classified ad. JB is free. We have recently allowed home based businesses as well. In your case mike, you offer a service so there is a services section which is available on the general classifieds.

In the future, JB will also have advertisement options. Not sure if people are aware of CTR rates, which mean every 1000 views of your ad. JB will have packages that are as low as $1.80 per 1000 ads.

Now for most that don't know, the average ctr rates online are around $8.00_$12.00 depending on the websites. Since this is a targeted market, i.e. "Japan Military Base Members". Targeted markets can sometimes reach $30.00 per 1000 views, it just depends.

I have checked navy times and stars and stripes. They are both very expensive.

JB wants to help all those that need to advertise there services and products at a discount price. It should be affordable.

The seahawk full page ads can run up to $2400 for 1 week. I was shocked. People don't normally want something like that, but when I checked on it, it was way more than JB was willing to dish out.

JB doesn't advertise anywhere. We still seem to bring 90,000 visitors per month.

You may want to first look into the distribution of the seahawk. See the #'s of newspapers (hardcopy) that go out.

Good luck mike.

For now, just use the classifieds as a primary source. I think you get good search engine results from google, as well as great way for someone to copy the link, send it to there friend, and that person have all the contact info right there in front of them.

Once people know they can always find your info in the services section, they will more than likely remember when someone needs a magician.

JB won't be doing advertisement packages for a few more months. I am integrating a great advertisement system which allows those people that want to advertise to have full control where there ads appear, how often, they can pause them anytime, and also upgrade/see stats. As you can see, lots of control and features. Its going to take a few more months to finish though.
www.japanbases.com

All of these reasons are ridiculous. A magician's phone number is OPSEC? A hairdresser? Give me a freakin' break! If that's true, then there needs to be official DOD policy: Don't put email/phone number on FB, don't give it to a realtor, or to any business out in town. Either it's OPSEC or it's not, and if it is then it needs to be enforced.

As far as "official endorsements", Navy knows exactly how to deal with this. Perhaps they just choose not to or are too lazy. The little fine print on the classifieds page: "Advertisement does not constitute official endorsement by DOD." They do this all over the place, it's nothing new.

Sounds to me like someone is too lazy to address the issue; it's far easier just to pull the ads & not have to think about it. Of course, to the detriment of our ex-pat community who actually would benefit from knowing about goods & services available in the community.

Adam, if it's OPSEC then it also should not be listed on JB.com. I just don't buy it.

Oh, and Navy Times, Stars & Stripes, and every other defense-related publication has ads. Somehow they've found a way to deal with it but Seahawk can't? Our local paper "Iwakuni Approach" has ads in its online version. Last I checked, USMC was in the Department of the Navy so either we're in violation down here or Seahawk is blowing smoke.

Your absolutely correct. I've seen other newspapers on official websites offer the ads in the online version newspaper. I think its more about cfay following the rules and others not. I honestly don't think they are allowed to have the advertisements posted on the govt websites. It takes time to remove them. I think cfay seahawk is doing exactly what its suppose to. Some may not agree, but rules and rules.
www.japanbases.com

Posted By Adam Jones on 21 Aug 2010 02:34 PM
I think its more about cfay following the rules and others not. I honestly don't think they are allowed to have the advertisements posted on the govt websites. It takes time to remove them. I think cfay seahawk is doing exactly what its suppose to. Some may not agree, but rules and rules.

Well then someone needs to tell the Stars & Stripes. At this very moment, I'm reading an ad for a lawyer (pg 9) & one for a real estate agency (pg 22) in the online version of Stripes. I guess they need to get busted.  They also have a full classifieds section online.  Navy Times is even worse, with banner ads posted all over.

Adam, I respect what you do with JB.com, but it might make you less than objective in this matter.  You have a vested interest in other pubs NOT being allow to post ads.  Like I said in my first post, if someone wants to allege that online ads are verboten then show me chapter & verse. Opinions count for little; I want to know what the Navy and DOD directives say on the matter.

Stars and stripes and navy times don't follow the same guidance. They are private. Hint: .com. They can do things .mil and .gov cannot

There are directives about it, and usually fall under PAO guidances.
www.japanbases.com

Wow, I never realized how much interest this post would generate. Adam - thanks for enlightening me on that "back story" on what is happening with the base just following regs.  It sounds like you have some kind of inside scoop into the workings of the powers-to-be at CFAY.     I worked in the Legal Office for most of my naval career and was part of the whole "cover your six" club. Thai Guy raises some interesting points as well. Like I said in my original post, Atsugi does the same thing, so where's there's smoke, there's fire. I seriously doubt any CMC will be making this a priority item in the near future. There are enough paper copies of Seahawk that go out to merit me running an ad again.

As a solution, CFAY might want to run an article on this so the base community knows what's going on. You know the saying - "When people don't know what's going on - they make it up."

Wow. Great info here. I had no idea.
Mike, there are a lot of people who still come by the club to pick up the Seahawk and we run out every week. So it appears that the ads still reaches a good portion of the community. I prefer paper over online myself. =)

Sounds like you've made up your mind, but I was just going to add that, from a business perspective, the only criteria is whether or not you are still getting value for your investment.

As soon as it fails to deliver however, I imagine that everyone will start dropping their ads as well. Obviously, the world is going digital only and that day is coming, but it doesn't seem to be here today.

It sounds like this is just a highly-risk adverse someone making a call about 'opsec security'. Odds are (s)he'll be overruled or replaced by someone younger and with more common sense before too long.

Mr. Applegate,

The decision to continue to run your add in the Seahawk is purely a private one - the Seahawk distrobution is nearly 20,000 so your add is seen by many and is not a deciding factor on whether the paper will be digital or hard copy as it is now.  I cannot speak for Stars and Stripes, Navy Time or any other publication but I assure you that there are instructions on this matter and the Seahawk follows them.  We are however, looking at ways to publish adds posted in the Seahawk via other avenues. 

 

Dear Navy PAO - Thank you for taking the time to respond to my blog which I posted in the interest of the entire Yokosuka Community, not myself. It's nice to know that you have time in your busy day to monitor JapanBases.Com. I haven't decided if I want to continue running my ad. Most people who hire me nowadays find me by Googling, so I guess it's a sign of the times.